To say that full HD, that’s 1080p resolution, has completely taken over would be a lie, and already there’s a lot of name dropping of new higher resolution standards called 4K, QFHD (Quad HD) and more recently Ultra HD.

We’ve already seen new and upcoming home cinema projectors, TV sets and computer monitors touting the new standards, while camera gear able to shoot at these resolutions are being pushed to professionals.

So what is 4K and QFHD resolution and what’s in it for you beyond a marketing scheme to make you buy new gear.continue reading

Sharp has just announced that it’s ramping up production of the world’s first LCD panels using advanced indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO) semiconductors at its Kameyama Plant No. 2 in order to meet increased demand. Production of the panels began in March 2012 and the IGZO technology allows Sharp to produce LCDs with high pixel density but lower energy consumption because of the smaller thin-film transistors and increased pixel transparency.

Sharp was long rumored as an Apple partner providing the retina displays in the 3rd generation iPad. However as the IGZO technology was too young, the company couldn’t yet mass-produce the 10-inch 2048×1536 panels required for the new iPad. Apple finally went with the same IPS LCD amorphous silicon panel technology as in the iPad 2, but the new iPad retina panel now consumes 2.5-times the power at the same brightness. To compensate Apple has loaded the new iPad with almost double the amount of battery, meaning that it takes much longer to recharge the iPad 3, and it’s also slightly thicker and heavier.continue reading

Manufacturers just love to shout largest, and LG is certainly in a record breaking mood today. LG Electronics has just unveiled the world’s largest 3D Ultra Definition (UD) TV. By Ultra Definition the company suggests a Quad Full High Definition (QFHD) resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels, which doubles the number of pixels of 1080p on each axis. That’s equivalent to four 1080p TVs stuck together, though not up to a full 4K resolution (which would mean at least 4,000 pixels on the horizontal axis).

The 84-inch behemoth is promising an immersive 3D experience, which we are inclined to believe, and something that LG will be happy to demonstrate at CES 2012 in Las Vegas. The TV will have access to LG’s Smart TV ecosystem with over 1,200 apps and some video content. It’s also set to come with a new Magic Remote with voice recognition and magic gestures. Well, there’s only two weeks left to CES 2012 where we will know more.continue reading